1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to insulating concrete form window and door bucks, and more particularly, to an internally aligned insulating window & door buck.
2. Description of Related Art
Insulated concrete formed walls (ICFs), pre-cast concrete walls, or poured in place concrete walls usually require window, door and utility openings. Typically in poured concrete walls a rough or finished buck frame is installed in place prior to concrete placement to accommodate installation of finish window and door components at a later date. Wall buck frames can be either fabricated on-site or in a manufacturing facility. Currently bucks found in the art are made from standard lumber stock, manufactured plastic/vinyl bucks with or without insulation or bucks made from a combination of these materials. The use of wood, plastic or vinyl bucks often is done without any regard for insulation and when insulation is incorporated the use of exterior face plastic flanges increases the overall thickness of the wall thereby interfering with finishes or the use of temporary lumber flanges that align the buck in the walls requiring much extra labor and materials. Another shortcoming in insulated wood bucks is the issue of components delaminating during cutting and installation procedures, as well as after the wall is poured. Another problem with current bucks is they don't allow the finishing of stucco type finishes directly to the buck and when a fire rated buck material is specified there isn't a positive way to assemble and fasten the elements together in a permanent fashion such as when a material like DensGlass™ is specified. The deficiencies in these existing systems are felt in the industry whereby the need for new solutions for a more adaptable, more energy efficient, and less labor intensive window and door buck is recognized.